


It Takes Us All

by AncientWings



Category: Psycho-Pass
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-02
Updated: 2014-08-02
Packaged: 2018-02-11 12:21:07
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 950
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2067978
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AncientWings/pseuds/AncientWings
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Spoilers! Don't read unless you've finished the series or don't mind having major events spoiled.</p><p> </p><p>A twist on Shuusei's death I wrote when I was in the mood to write something sad.</p>
            </blockquote>





	It Takes Us All

“We live every day knowing that someday we will die. So it’s really not that hard...” My frozen mouth tried to curve into a smile. “Ha ha. Ha, ha ha.” A tear rolled down my cheek. “Why is it so hard?” I tried to raise my hand to brush the tear away, but I could not.  
Akane let out a cry, and I watched her mind struggle to form some words of comfort. “Shuusei...” she finally squeaked, lifting my ragged body into her arms and holding me tightly. “Shuusei,” she sobbed, her hot tears pelting my cheek.

  
“What -” I coughed. “You think a small thing like losing my life is gonna keep me from being around to bother you guys?” Her tears just fell harder at this, and my body bounced with each sob that wracked her shoulders. “Tch. You obviously don’t know me ve-” I stopped to cough again. “I’m gonna haunt you forever, don’t worry.”  
Akane tried to giggle, but it came out as a sob. “You - you had such a shitty life!” she cried. “It’s not fair - you at least, at least, at least deserve a...” She couldn’t bear to say the words, but I knew what she meant.

  
“You shoulda taken a different job,” I wheezed. “You’re too good for this life.” I erupted in coughs again. “You had everything... So many opportunities -” More coughing. “And you sold it for this...” I weakly turned my head to view the empty alley we lay in, this cold, damp street that seemed to epitomize my life. “Is this your idea of justice?” I whispered. “Is this what you stand for?” I dropped my head back into her lap. Akane stayed silent, her tears falling onto my face with a steady rhythm.  
I closed my eyes and breathed slowly, trying to suppress the urge to cough so I could speak clearly. “You said my life was shitty. Has yours really been so different?” I started coughing again; I could barely breathe, they were so bad, but they eventually subsided. “We’re all slaves of Sibyl in the end. But you didn’t have to choose to be so close - so close to the center of it... To the truth...” I began to cough again, and this time blood appeared each time one clawed itself from my throat. Akane didn’t know what to do except wipe the blood from my face with her hand.

  
“Shuusei,” she whimpered softly, stroking my face with the back of her hand, trying to avoid smearing blood on my face. I blinked slowly and tried again to force my mouth into a smile.

  
“I’m - I’m glad you’re here with me.” More blood spilled from my mouth as my coughing began anew. It took several minutes for the fit to subside, and Akane held me up so I didn’t choke on the blood.

  
I struggled to turn to my head to face her, but she gently pressed my face forward in case I started to cough again and kissed me on the cheek. “I’m here,” she murmured.  
“Don’t leave me,” I whispered, begging. “Don’t let me leave. I’m afraid,” I sobbed.

  
Her fingers entwined themselves with mine, and their gauntness startled me. She was stuck with a difficult and often terrible job, but was it really so hard on her? “I’m here,” she repeated, more firmly. “I’m here... I’m here...”

  
“I hate this life... But I don’t... I don’t want to die.” Tears began to form in my eyes. “Who’s gonna take care of you now? Certainly not that Kougami bastard-” I barely finished the words before the coughs brought up another tidal wave of blood.

  
“You could hardly take care of yourself,” Akane laughed softly through her tears. “You’re lucky I showed up.” She brushed a lock of hair from my forehead and kissed me gently, pressing her lips to my skin for several long seconds.

  
My tears began to run down my face as her lips touched my skin. Even now, when it seemed everything hurt, her touch somehow brought me comfort. I knew it wouldn’t be long now. I could feel the energy being sapped from every corner of my body. Akane, seeming to sense this, shifted me in her grip, resting me more comfortably against her. The coughing seemed to have subsided, but I felt myself growing quickly weaker. My eyes closed and then blinked slowly open. Akane’s face seemed to grow blurry, but that could have been from my tears. I think she said something, but I couldn’t understand her.

  
I began to laugh softly, crazily.“ You know, Akane...” A wave of blood erupted from my mouth from my laughter, and I coughed even harder than I had just a few minutes before. After the coughing again went away, my body felt devoid of strength, and a wave of dizziness swept through me. I struggled to say a few more words through the mouth that seemed nearly frozen shut. “You know... Dying... Dying really is such an inconvenience.” I grinned, happy with myself for getting the words out. Her face really was blurry now; I closed my eyes because the effort suddenly didn’t seem worth it. I felt her hand cup my cheek as I let my eyes drift shut, and again felt the gentle touch of her lips against my skin. I heard her murmur something that might have been my name. I wanted to open my eyes once more, to see her once more... But my strength gave out; I couldn’t hold on. I weakly drew in one last breath before it floated out of me. The last thing I knew was the gentle pattern of her tears hitting my face.


End file.
